St. Brigid, who was the daughter of an Irish chieftain and a slave within his court, was devout from a young age. Turning away offers of marriage, she instead took the veil at a young age and became one of the early evangelizers of Ireland alongside St. Patrick. Brigid was known from a young age as being generous and many stories are told of miracles performed by her. One tale says that she gave away all her mother's store of butter, only to find it replenished the next morning in an answer to her prayers. During her lifetime she founded several monasteries of nuns as well as schools. Although many of the stories of Brigid are somewhat fantastical, she was most definitely a holy woman devoted to God and the Church.
To celebrate St. Brigid's feast day on the 1st, we will be:
- Preparing a dinner feast of a vegetarian (it is 1st Friday, after all) stew, with potatoes, of course, and maybe some Guinness thrown in for good luck; Irish soda bread; and beer for the grown-ups
- Making some butter in glass jars with heavy cream, marbles, and a whole lotta shaking in honor of the miracle of Brigid's butter that was replaced
- Coloring in this lovely sheet offered by Tired Twang
- Wrangling a copy of Brigid's Cloak
by Bryce Milligan + illustrated by Helen Cann from our local library
- Possibly attempting to create a St. Brigid's Cross (I feel I'll be doing most of the work for the viewing of the boys, but this is a great activity for older kiddos)
Prayer to Saint Brigid
Image source: Wikipedia
Saint Brigid
You were a woman of peace.
You brought harmony where there was conflict.
You brought light to the darkness.
You brought hope to the downcast.
May the mantle of your peace cover those who are troubled and anxious,
and may peace be firmly rooted in our hearts and in our world.
Inspire us to act justly and to reverence all God has made.
Brigid you were a voice for the wounded and the weary.
Strengthen what is weak within us.
Calm us into a quietness that heals and listens.
May we grow each day into greater wholeness in mind, body and spirit.
Amen
Special Blessings on your St. Brigid's Day! How will you be celebrating?
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This post Little HolyDays:: Feast of St. Brigid first appeared on Two Os Plus More on 30 January 2013
Great ideas for your celebration...I'd love to know how your cross-making went. Thanks for sharing the prayer, too - beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, Abbey! So due to my 3 year olds short attention span and a busy day combined, we didn't get a chance to make the crosses. I think I'll still try to make them next week. Better late than never, right?
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